1st Telecommunication Company in Nigeria

The Global Systems for Mobile Communications (GSM) is approximately 16 years and three months in Nigeria. The mobile system was introduced into the Nigerian market and society precisely on 6th August, 2001. That was in the third year of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s first term.
The arrival of GSM in the country brought an abrupt or progressive end to the problematic and highly criticized services of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), that then maintained monopoly over Nigeria’s telecommunications and data services. Right from inception, it was apparent that the new wave of wireless communications held better services, opportunities and promises for Nigerians who were already soaked in complaints of poor services typical of Nigeria’s public utility, corruption and lack of functional modalities to reverse the situation. The introduction of GSM in Nigeria was therefore consequent upon the deregulation of the telecomm sector, against all manner of controversies, bureaucratic red-tapism, politics, fears and expectations.
Despite the discourses and cynicism, it was not long when the overwhelming positive effect of the GSM was felt across the country, with chain-value variables that accelerated businesses and changed the tempo of small and medium scale enterprises, hence injecting fresh impetus into the socio-economic complexion of the country in a way that left no room for further debates or apprehension. The market was rapidly expanded beyond imaginations to herald healthy competition amongst Nigerians and foreigners alike.
Arguably, ECONET Wireless is said to be the first network provider that made the first live call using GSM in the country on June 8, 2001. It was shortly followed by MTN that came on May 16, 2001 but began operations in August of the same year. Only three companies were initially licensed by the Nigerian government, namely Econet Wireless, MTN, and MTEL. Lagos first enjoyed gsm services, followed by Abuja, then Port Harcourt. The nw calletworks were launched under the 900 and 1800 MHZ spectrum, which was made at N50 per minute as there was no per second billing system until when Mike Adenuga’s Globacom Nigeria Limited (Glo) ventured into the market in 2003. Glo introduced per second billing.
As expected, to own a cell phone then became a status symbol or an indication of one’s exposure and compliance with the 21st century IT craze. Of course, owning a cell phone then made one a front-seat global citizen. But it came at a price so high that the poor had no hope of such luxury. The price of a cell phone then was as comparatively dear as that for a SIM. As at 2002, to buy a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) was about between Forty to Fifty Thousand Naira; while NOKIA 3310 and Samsung series, the trendy brands then, were upwards of Eighty to over One Hundred Thousand naira. They thus automatically became exclusive convenience and liability of the super-rich, as some middle-class families could only afford one for the whole house-whole. Dealers on this new wave of telecomm craze almost instantly realized how much they could make and shops were seen opening up by the day with different and identical products and services.
For Nigerians: could you remember when you had your first phone, and the model, as well as how you felt? If you could still remember names of freaky phones like Nokia 3310, Nokia 1200, Nokia 1208, Motorola XT1032, Samsung C140 and other competitive models that introduced the dual SIM convenience, then, one way or the other, you were part of the frenetic genesis and a testimony of the present!
17.6k views · View 13 Upvoters · View Sharers Answered Sep 28 2017 Chukwuemeka Ogba, lives in Nigeria
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